Ana María Simo facts for kids

Ana María Simo is a writer of plays, essays, and novels from New York. She was born in Cuba, studied in France, and writes in English. She has worked with many creative artists, including composer Zeena Parkins, choreographer Stephanie Skura, and filmmakers Ela Troyano and Abigail Child.

Simo has made important contributions as an activist for women's and LGBTQ+ rights. She helped start groups like Medusa's Revenge, which was the first theater for women in New York. She also co-founded the action group Lesbian Avengers, the TV show Dyke TV, and The Gully online magazine.

Ana María Simo's Career

Becoming a Writer

Ana Maria Simo started working as a journalist in Havana, Cuba, when she was 15 years old. This was after the Cuban Revolution. Her first book, Las fábulas (The Fables), was a collection of short stories. It was published by Ediciones El Puente, a group that published books and writings. Simo helped lead this group with its founder, José Mario Rodríguez.

Simo later moved to Paris, where she studied sociology and linguistics at the University of Paris VIII-Vincennes from 1968 to 1972. In the mid-1970s, she moved to New York. There, she began writing in English. Working with playwright Maria Irene Fornes in her theater workshop during the 1980s was very important for Simo's writing.

One of her well-known plays is "Going to New England," which was shown at the INTAR theater in 1990. A reviewer from The New York Times, Stephen Holden, said the play was a good look at feeling trapped and explored traditional family values.

Simo's 1991 dance-theater show, "The Bad Play," was a team-up with choreographer Stephanie Skura. The New York Times called it a "very broad and very funny parody" of a Hispanic soap opera.

Her short film from 1989, How to Kill Her, made with Ela Troyano, was first shown at the Lesbian and Gay Experimental Film Festival. It later won first place at The Latino Film and Video Festival.

Simo's plays have mostly been shown in New York City. Places like P.S. 122, Theater for the New City, and the New York Shakespeare Festival have presented her work.

In 2018, Simo published her first novel, Heartland. This book explores themes like different cultures, moving to a new country, and how the past affects us. It mixes mystery, humor, and a very real style, similar to her plays. Heartland was a finalist for an award in 2019.

Activism and Community Work

Simo moved to Paris in time to take part in the student protests of May 1968. Soon after, she joined groups working for women's and LGBTQ+ rights. These included the Gouines Rouges (Red Dykes), the MLF (Women's Liberation Movement), and the FHAR (Revolutionary Homosexual Action Front).

In 1976, in New York, she helped start Medusa's Revenge. This was a theater group for women, co-founded with actor Magaly Alabau.

In 1992, Simo co-founded The Lesbian Avengers. This was a direct action group with other activists like Maxine Wolfe and Sarah Schulman. The Lesbian Avengers inspired similar groups around the world. One of their lasting achievements is the yearly Dyke March in New York City.

Soon after, Simo, along with Mary Patierno and Linda Chapman, created Dyke TV. This half-hour TV show was made by and for women. It was shown on Public-access television across the United States for over ten years. It included news, political discussions, arts, health, and sports.

Simo also co-founded The Gully online magazine (2000-2006) with writer Kelly Cogswell. Its goal was to "encourage activism and redefine and expand gay issues." It offered LGBTQ+ views on world news, U.S. politics, and social issues. It also had a Spanish version.

Selected Works by Ana María Simo

Novels

• Heartland (2018). Restless Books.

Plays

• Exiles, INTAR, NYC, 1982
• Pickaxe, WOW Theater, NYC, 1986
• What Do You See?, Theater for the New City, NYC, 1986
• Alma, INTAR, NYC, 1988
• Penguins, East 4th St. Theater, NYC 1989
• Going to New England, INTAR, NYC, 1990, Directed by Irene Fornes
• The Bad Play (Dance-theater piece, Choreography: Stephanie Skura) PS 122, NYC 1991; Bessie Schonberg Theatre, NYC, 1991; Walker Arts Center, Minneapolis, 1992.
• Ted and Edna (staged reading), La Mama, ETC, NYC 1990; New Dramatists, NYC 1993
• Without Qualities (staged reading), New Dramatists, NYC, 1996

Radio, Audio, and Film

• The Table of Liquid Measures (radio play), National Public Radio, Radio Stage. Producer: Sarah Montague, 1995
• How to Kill Her, short film with Ela Troyano, 1989

Short Stories and Collections

• Dolan, Jill; Hughes, Holly; Tropicana, Carmelita (Eds). (2015). Memories of the Revolution: The First Ten Years of the WOW Café Theater. University of Michigan Press.
• Cooper, Dennis (Ed.). (1992). Discontents: New Queer Writers. Amethyst Press.
• Scholder, Amy, Silverberg, Ira (Eds.). (1991) High Risk: An Anthology of Forbidden Writings. Plume.
• Hasson, Liliane (Ed, Transl.). (1985). Cuba: nouvelles et contes d'aujourd'hui. Éditions L'Harmattan, (France).
• Cohen, John Michael (Ed.). (1967). Writers in the New Cuba: An Anthology. Penguin.
• Simo, Ana María. Las fábulas, Ediciones El Puente. (collection short stories)

Articles and Books

• Simo, Ana Maria. Infernal Twins. Censorship as Social Death and What To Do About It pdf. Out/Look National Lesbian & Gay Quarterly, issue 13, summer 1991.
• Simo, Ana Maria. Lydia Cabrera: An Intimate Portrait. New York: Intar Latin American Gallery, 1988.
• Simo, Ana María and Garcia Ramos, Reinaldo. "Hablemos claro." Mariel: Revista de Literatura y Arte 2.5 (1984): 9-10.

See also

In Spanish: Ana María Simo para niños